Hanyou
by April418
Summary: Neji accidentaly messes up the seal. But instead of the Kyuubi being released, something unexpected happens to Naruto..... Please read!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here is my third story! I've wanted to publish this one a long time, but making it the right length just takes so damn long! Stories I've made before have such short chapters it's pathetic. Anyway, this one starts out at the end of Naruto's match against Neji during the chunnin exams. If you find any mistakes, please tell me. Enjoy!:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...yet. cackles evily

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Neji's head was spinning from the impact of Naruto's last blow. He didn't even hear the jounin instructor announce that the battle was over. He vaguely made out Naruto standing over him.

'_He's going to kill me!' _Neji thought. In a last desperate attempt, he hit the blond right in the stomach, where the red chakra had come from. Unfortunately, he was only half conscious at the time so his concentration was off. The result changed history for not only Naruto, but Konoha as well.

Immediately, red chakra began to form around the blond, only it was thicker this time. Neji watched in horror as Naruto howled in pain. The chakra was ripping away at his skin! A few of the older people in the arena screamed. _'The Nine Tailed Fox is breaking free!' _was the thought running through most of their heads.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed. "What's happening to him?!" Ino could only stare in shock at the blond. Meanwhile, Orochimaru, still disguised as the Kazekage, felt his eyes widen, more from fascination than horror. Then, he smirked. _'Maybe I should postpone the invasion a little longer.' _He thought. _'I want to see what comes of this.' _

Naruto was in a world of pain. His skin was being ripped away, only to heal again. Something felt wrong with his stomach, or, more accurately, the seal on it. _"What the hell's happening!" _he screamed mentally to the Kyuubi. _**"What's happening?! The seal is breaking, that's what's happening!" **_shouted the Kyuubi gleefully.

"Oh fuck," said Naruto, right before he slipped into unconsciousness.

--

Neji was very confused. He couldn't get the past events to make sense. First of all, what was with that weird chakra Naruto had and why was it attacking it's user? Secondly, he knew it had been pretty unusual, but was it really bad enough for them to postpone the exams? They hadn't even cared when other people had been hospitalized! And why did people keep glaring at him? Was it really that bad he had made a mistake and attacked his opponent after the match was over? His uncle had even told him off for it. _'Maybe this is what it's like to be Hinata,'_ he mused. Another thing: why did every look so fucking scared?! You'd think a demon was about to attack or something……

All these questions reeled around his head as he walked down the hallway of Konoha's hospital. He was going to see if Naruto was alright. When the Hyuga protégée had last seen him, the chakra burns were pretty serious. And, he secretly felt a little ashamed and guilty of his mistake.

--

Sakura sat in the waiting room of the hospital, fidgeting nervously. Every bad thing she'd ever said or done to Naruto was flying through her head. If he died now, she would never be able to live with the guilt. And she had just started trying to be his friend too…..

"_**Friends?" **_a voice within her shrieked. _**"He's been trying to be you friend ever since he met you! But noooooo! You thought you were too good for him, when the truth is, you are pathetic as a ninja and a person!"**_

"_Shut up!" _she told it, but it just cackled at her. _**"You're always pushing him aside in favor of your precious Sasuke-kun, who doesn't give a damn about either of you!" **_

"_You're wrong," _she replied, but only half-heartedly. In truth, she wasn't sure. She was shocked and slightly disgusted at his behavior when he found out about what happened to their blond teammate. Sasuke had shown no concern whatsoever for him. In fact, he had just seemed extremely angry that the exams had been postponed.

The more she looked back at her life, the more she saw just how wrong she was about everything. Her head began to spin with the impact of this realization, and she wasn't sure of any thing anymore. All her beliefs had come crashing down around her. Sasuke wasn't the angel she had always seen him as. He was an arrogant prick who cared for no one (as far as Sakura could see). Naruto wasn't the stupid, weak, annoying baka she had deemed him to be. Instead, he was a strong kind-hearted ninja, who would do anything to protect his precious people. And she……..she herself wasn't the beautiful kunochi who Sasuke had a hidden love for, and just hadn't realized it that she had envisioned. Sakura was a weak, pathetic fan girl, who had only become a ninja in order to become Sasuke's fulltime stalker. She relied on her teammates to save her, and merely sit back and watch as they got hurt.

"_Naruto is so strong," _she thought. _"No matter how mean I was to him, he still wanted to be my friend……." _She sniffled a little bit. _"No matter what happened, he would still be able to look at me and keep smiling." _Her lip trembled, as she tried to hold back the tears. _"I am so weak……I am such a horrible person……I…….. I don't deserve to be his friend!" _Tears began spilling down her cheeks as she sat there, with her knees against her chest, sobbing. Slowly, her mind began to plunge into despair.

Suddenly, she was saved from her emotional turmoil by the entrance of Neji.

"H...Hyuga-san…." She tried desperately not to hiccup, or look like she had been crying a few seconds before.

Neji stood there awkwardly, not sure exactly what to do. He had walked in on a girl crying, and he wasn't sure what to do. The Hyuga protégé didn't have much experience with girls, except Tenten, who rarely ever cried. Plus, he assumed Sakura was crying because of Naruto's injury, making he-Neji the reason for her distress. In the end, he decided to pretend he hadn't seen her crying. He coughed and started to speak.

"Um…Sakura, have you been in to see Uzumaki?" She stared at her feet.

"No, they haven't let me." _'I hope his condition isn't critical.'_

Neji was racking his brain for something else to say, when the door to the waiting room opened and a very tired looking Kakashi walked in. Sakura was by him immediately, pounding him with questions about Naruto.

"Is he alright? Why can't we see him? Has Sasuke come to see him to? What was that weird chakra? Will we-" She was abruptly cut off by Kakashi.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with him, Sakura, or what will happen."

Sakura frowned, disappointed, and was about to say something else when they heard screams down the hallway.

They were Naruto's.

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A/N: The dreaded cliff hanger! Hope you enjoyed it! Please, please, please review! I only got TWO FUCKING REVIEWS last time. Thank you to those who actually did reveiw.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey people

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I had to rethink the plot, and couldn't get with the flow of the story. I hope this chapter is worth it.

Disclaimer: If Naruto belonged to me, then I wouldn't have to write Naruto _Fanfiction_.

Following the echoes of Naruto's screams, Sakura charged down the hallway with Neji and Kakashi right behind her.

'_Has the Kyuubi finally broken free?' _the silver haired jounin thought, his brow furrowed with worry and fear. Sakura skidded to a halt as they reached the door to his room. She shoved it open, to see Naruto thrashing in the hospital bed. His teeth were tightly clenched, and he was hissing in pain.

"Naruto…"

His eyes snapped open at the sound of his name. They darted around wildly and he sat up in panic, only to lay back down as more pain attacked him.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried again. She was about to run towards him, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up to see Kakashi's visible eye wide and…. frightened?

"Don't go any closer, Sakura. It could be dangerous," he warned.

"Wha-" She was abruptly cut off by another howl of pain from Naruto. All three of them turned to see faint wisps of red around him. His teeth grew, sharpening into fangs. He clawed at his face, only to scream in pain again as blood began to flow from the cuts his now claw-like nails had made. The other ninja looked on in slight fascination and horror as steam started to rise from the wounds. In less than a minute, the slashes began to heal and soon there was no sign they had ever been there.

"Byakugan!" Neji cried. _'Incredible…'_ he thought. Two distinctly different chakras were swirling around Naruto's body, and it looked like they were lashing out at each other. The red kind seemed to be full of malevolence and almost looked like it was _burning_ him from the inside. At the same time, it was also the one causing his body to heal so quickly. The other type of chakra was blue, and there was nothing very extraordinary about it. The Hyuuga recognized it as Naruto's regular chakra. While the red chakra was mostly around the stomach area, and trying to move outward, the blue chakra filled the rest of the body, and was trying to push the other type inwards. Neji winced. The blonde was in a lot more pain then he'd anticipated. It was like his whole chakra system was going to collapse on itself.

"Isn't there something we can do?!" Sakura asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"We can only call for the medics and hope for the best," Kakashi firmly replied. "Let them handle this."

_-In Naruto's head-_

Naruto waded slowly through his sewer-like mindscape. The water was now up to his waist, and slowly rising. Malicious laughter echoed throughout the passage, undoubtedly belonging to Kyuubi. Finally, Naruto couldn't take the suspense any more.

"Oi! Fox! What are you laughing about?!" More sinister laughter followed his question.

"**I'm just having fun imagining the expression that will be on your face, Kit, when I destroy your precious village!"** Kyuubi replied mockingly. Naruto sped up a little, but it was hard to move quickly in the water.

"And what makes you think I'll let you do that?!" the blonde said angrily. "You can't get out of the seal!"

A growl followed his words. Then he was shocked to hear even more cruel laughter. He finally made it to the end of the passage, but when he saw the giant cage he gasped.

"**You humans and your seals," **The Kyuubi's voice echoed all around him. Naruto could only gape at the cage. The bars were now all broken and bent at different angles. The piece of paper that was once the seal lay at his feet, with bits of the edges burned.

"**You all had such faith in your beloved Yondaime's seal," **sinister red chakra was now swirling around Naruto **"when all it took to break it was a weak Hyuuga brat!"**

The Kyuubi appeared in front of Naruto smiling wickedly. Suddenly, the chakra surrounding them lashed out at the blonde. He doubled over in pain and his screams of agony drowned out the Kyuubi's laughter. This hurt more than anything he'd ever experienced before. It hurt so much that he wanted to die, to do anything he could to escape this world of anguish and torment. The only thing his brain registered besides the pain was the fox's voice.

"**It hurts, doesn't it? Well, this pain is miniscule compared to what the rest of the villagers will feel." **Then he gave Naruto a nasty grin. **"But don't worry Kit, I won't kill you yet. First, I'm going to burn your precious village to the ground!" **He appeared to take great pleasure in saying that, but Naruto was to preoccupied to notice. The Kyuubi kneeled down to eye level with the blonde.

"**But don't think I'm doing this out of mercy. I know you well Kit, perhaps better than you know yourself. Watching me kill every single one of your precious people is the best form of torture there is for you." **With that, he turned and began walking towards the tunnel Naruto had come through, pausing only to glance back and say **"Later, Kit! I have a village to destroy!"**

'_So, this is it,' _Naruto thought. _'In the end, I fail to save what matters most.'_

In his mind, he could see all his precious people.

'…_Iruka-sensei…'_

'…_Sakura-chan…..'_

'…_.Old man Hokage….'_

'…_Kakashi-sensei…..'_

'……_..Sasuke…'_

'…_Now, because of me, they will die. Now, because of me, everyone will die. It will be all my fault. I've failed the first and most important task I've ever been given_ (1)_. I've failed. Now…..all of them…..will….die-'_

"NO!" Naruto's voice rang out clear and firm. The Kyuubi stopped and turned back to him. The blonde was now standing, with blue chakra swirling around him, fighting the red. He glared defiantly at the ancient demon, blue eyes flashing. "If you want to leave here, then you'll have to go through me first!"

The Kyuubi gave him a bored look. **"Tch, what a pest. I guess I'll just have to kill you first. It's a shame; I was looking forward to torturing you more." **

One of his tails snaked out and wrapped around Naruto faster then he could blink. It began crushing him, making it hard to breath. The blonde gritted his teeth and began forcing back the tail with his chakra. It was much easier to control in here, maybe because he wasn't actually pulling any outside his body.

"Kage bushin no jutsu!" Immediately nine copies of Naruto popped into existence. They all charged the Kyuubi, but he didn't even appear phased. One swing of his tail stopped them all.

"**Really, Kit, you must learn some new tricks," **he taunted, before leaping away to avoid the one sneaking up from behind. **"I'm a thousand year old demon fox, and lord of the Bijuu. It'll take more than that to beat me."**

Naruto really wasn't sure what to do. _'Ok, I'm fighting a super powerful demon fox, who has taken out thousands of ninja, and couldn't be killed by the Fourth Hokage. What can I do? Shit, I can't think of anything besides give up! But I have to protect Sakura-chan and all the others! I just have to stop him from getting out.'_

He positioned himself in front of the tunnel and sent more clones towards the demon. Suddenly, the Kyuubi vanished. Naruto scanned the room franticly for the fox, until a voice sounded right next to his ear. **"Looking for someone, Kit?" **

(1) He's talking about containing the Kyuubi.

Yes, the chapter is sort of a cliffhanger, but I didn't mean to do it. I just wanted to hurry up and post it. I would like to thank all of my reviews, who are smart and wonderful. Another thanks goes to Amakiir for pointing out my mistake in the last chapter. Please tell me if you liked this chapter.

Review! It gives me delusions of grandeur.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Heh, heh, sorry, I left you guys off in the middle of a battle last time.

Disclaimer: Me owning Naruto is a sign of the apocalypse. Needless to say, I don't.

Warning: Usually I get my sister to edit these chapters before I post them, but she's not here right now and I'm getting impatient! Feel free to point out errors.

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Recap: _He positioned himself in front of the tunnel and sent more clones towards the demon. Suddenly, the Kyuubi vanished. Naruto scanned the room franticly for the fox, until a voice sounded right next to his ear. __**"Looking for someone, Kit?"**_

Naruto barely even had time to gasp in shock before he found himself plummeting towards the wall. He hit it full on (after all, how could someone miss when the _wall_ is their target?) and coughed up blood.

'_Wait a second,' _he thought _'how can I physically get hurt in my own conscious? This is messed up!'_

Kyuubi loomed over him, smiling in a way that made Naruto want to punch him in the face. The blonde tried to, only for his hand to be caught by another. Naruto looked up in surprise to see a muscular, red haired man standing over him.

"Wha-what?"

Kyuubi sighed. **"Did you honestly think I took the form of a giant fox all the time? That's just to look impressive. This form is much better for maneuvering quickly in tight areas." **Then he began to put pressure on Naruto's arm. Soon there was a sickening crunch. Yet again, Naruto gave a cry of pain. Kyuubi paid no mind to it and just kept squeezing his arm. Tears streamed down Naruto's cheeks, and to his shame, he couldn't stifle a whimper.

"**You know, Kit," **Kyuubi said conversationally, **"since right now we're technically inside your body, I'm not physically hurting you." **He grinned manically.

"**Instead," **he squeezed Naruto's arm harder for emphasis **"I'm hurting your soul. That's why, in here, you're much more sensitive to pain. That and the fact that I'm hurting you very badly."**

"**We can continue this as long as you like. I can even break some of your other limbs as well. So, are you going to be a good little Kit and wait here until I get back?" **Naruto gritted his teeth and managed to shake his head no. Kyuubi's expression hardened. He viciously tugged the arm, almost ripping it all the way off. Naruto screamed in agony.

"**This is what I hate about you Kit. You do the stupidest things in order to appear 'noble' and 'heroic' protecting people who hate you. It's their fault you're in this mess in the first place, theirs and your beloved Yondaime's. You people sicken me!" **he spat. He kicked Naruto in the stomach, sending him flying towards the wall again. But before the blonde could reach his painful destination, Kyuubi appeared behind him, grabbed the arm that was hurt, and used all his force to slam the boy into the wall. When he released him, Naruto fell to his knees and coughed up more blood.

"**You know Kit," **said Kyuubi, regaining his usual sadistically gleeful, mocking demeanor, **"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually wanted to die." **

Naruto glared at the red head with all his might, but that just made Kyuubi laugh even more. The blonde tried to get up, but found he couldn't move. All the injuries Kyuubi inflicted had taken a toll on Naruto's spiritual body.

"**Well, it looks like I won't have to kill you after all." **Kyuubi said, grinning in that way Naruto was starting to hate. **"I'll give your regards to your friends and be sure to mention that it's your fault they're about to die. ****Adiosu, Kit!" **

Yet again, he walked toward tunnel that led to the rest of the world. Mentally Naruto was screaming 'noooo!' but he said nothing out loud. He could only watch in horror as Kyuubi, smirking triumphantly, began to enter the tunnel. Or at least, that's what they both thought would happen. Instead, Kyuubi slammed into some invisible barrier, nearly crushing his nose in the process. Kyuubi fell backwards, rubbing his now red nose, with a comical blank look on his face.

**"Ow,"** he said stupidly. In any other situation, Naruto would have been laughing his ass off. As if reading his thoughts, Kyuubi turned to him and glared threateningly.** "Don't say anything!"** he growled.

The redhead got up and began feeling the barrier, which appeared to stretch across the entrance to the tunnel. Whenever he touched it, a symbol appeared in the middle. Kyuubi glared at it a little, before looks of comprehension followed by horror crossed his face. He through himself on the ground, and began throwing a tantrum.

**"Noooooo! What did I do to deserve this! Sure, killing all those people was bad, but this is a fate worse than death! Why do I have to be stuck sharing a mind with this idiot?!"** Naruto huffed indignantly.

"Hey! Stupid fox! What do you mean by 'sharing a mind'?" When Kyuubi turned to look at him, Naruto wished he hadn't spoken. The demon's eyes shined with hate and anger that he needed to vent. He suddenly appeared right in front of the helpless blonde.

**"Remember who you're talking to!"** he yelled, and hit the boy so hard across the face that his jaw nearly broke. Naruto's eyes stung he had to bite his lip (not the best idea) to prevent himself from crying.

After Kyuubi had sufficiently calmed down, he timidly voiced his question again. "What did you mean by 'sharing a mind'?"

Kyuubi glared at him a little before answering.** "What does it sound like? You and I are going to have to be sharing a mind for the rest of eternity."**

Naruto nearly choked on his own spit."N-NANI?!"

Kyuubi scowled at him.** "Kit, I'm only going to explain this once, so listen up! The Yondaime's seal consisted of two parts. The first part kept me from escaping this body, so I couldn't wreak havoc on the rest of the world." **As he said that, Kyuubi gave a longing sigh.

**"The second part was represented by the cage you usually see me in when you come here. It kept us as two separate entities." **He looked at Naruto, who had a blank expression on his face that just said 'huh?' Kyuubi rolled his eyes and tried again.

**"Ok, let me put it this way. The second part kept our souls from mixing, so that you wouldn't become blood thirsty and I wouldn't become stupid." **

"Hey!" Naruto said indignantly.

**"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"** The blonde nodded.

"But what does that have to do with us?"

**"Well, unfortunately for us, the stupid Hyuuga can't do anything right and only destroyed the second part of the seal."**

Naruto just looked at him for a minute, and then punched the air. "Yay! The Kyuubi can't get out of me!"

Said fox demon twitched in annoyance. **"You shouldn't be cheering, gaki! The second part of the seal is broken! Our souls are going to mix together!"**

The blonde paused mid-cheer. His expression was even more horrified then Kyuubi's had been. Of course, the redhead laughed at this. But Naruto really didn't care at the moment. He sank down into a sitting position on the floor, staring blankly ahead. When he was little, everyone hated him because they thought he was the Kyuubi. Some of them still did. His only comfort had been that they were wrong; he was Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage and Number One Hyperactive Knuckle Head. Or he had been. Now he actually was becoming the Kyuubi. He looked down at his hands. Would they grow fur and claws? Would he be stronger? Suddenly, fear gripped his heart. Would he kill his own precious people?!

Kyuubi, meanwhile, was very unnerved at the blonde's silence. **"Hey! Kit! Say something! You're creeping me out here!"**

Naruto looked at him with wide, scared eyes. "B-b-but, I-I don't want to b-become you! I don't want to become the bloodthirsty demon who nearly slaughtered the village! Now I really will be what the villagers hate! Now," tears poured from his eyes, which were brimming with emotion "I'll be all alone." He whispered the last part.

Kyuubi scoffed. **"You become me? As if!"**

Naruto's miserable expression was replaced by a look of confusion. "Huh? But I thought you said-"

**"I said we were going to mix together. Neither of us we'll be dominate. When this is over, there won't be a 'Naruto' and a 'Kyuubi'. There will be one being, who's partly like you and partly like me, a half demon. And at the same time, neither of us will be dead."**

Naruto wiped his tears away, smiling gratefully, for even if it hadn't been Kyuubi's intention, the blonde felt a little better. He wrinkled his nose. "Ew… You make it sound like we're going to have a baby or something…."

The look on the demon's face was priceless.** "Wha- gross! Don't even joke about sick things like that!" **

Naruto stood up. "So how long until we…you know, 'become one' and all that?"

**"Don't know. Could take days, weeks, maybe even years. For now, all we can do is wait." **Naruto nodded and started to leave.

**"Oh, and Kit, you may be experiencing some major headaches. Since we're going to be sharing a mind, you'll be hearing my thoughts as well as your own. Don't worry about it though; soon our thoughts will become the same."**

Naruto nodded and walked down the tunnel and out of sight. _'What am I going to tell my friends?' _

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Well, was that good? I personally feel very worn out. I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so you may not here from me in a while. Thanks for the reviews, they're appreciated. Does any one know a good online Japanese translator, preferably free? I might need one soon. I want to know what people think of Kyuubi's personality. He's just so much fun for me to write! He's going to be an expert at torture. :D

Review!...please?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry about the wait on this chapter. I was trying to get it finished before my relatives came. It didn't work. I hope this chapter is long enough.

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A mob had formed outside the Hokage's office. Some people were there out of concern for the village, while others were there just because they had long awaited the death of the Kyuubi brat.

"The Kyuubi has returned!"

"We need to get him before he gets us!"

A man wearing sunglasses pushed his way towards the front of the crowd. "Hokage-sama, you saw the chakra surrounding the boy too; he is a danger to the village! I insist that that _thing_ be exterminated!"

There was a chorus of agreement to his words. Sarutobi rubbed his temples, trying to rid himself of his headache. _'Why did I have to come out of retirement?'_

"There is no proof that the Kyuubi has broken free, Ebisu. It may still be Naruto in there."

Ebisu curled his lip in distain. _'Imagine, giving that thing a name!' _

"And it may be the Kyuubi coming to KILL US ALL!" someone else screeched.

"I'M NOT ABOUT TO TAKE AN INNOCENT HUMAN LIFE!" The crowd shrank back from the sheer power the Hokage's voice emitted. Still, one voice meekly spoke out.

"But, Hokage-sama, that doesn't change the possibility it could be the demon your medics are healing!"

This caused even more uproar among the crowd. Things like "you're giving it _medical attention_?!" could be heard. Sarutobi sighed. After a lot of persuading, he had gotten some medical ninjas to attend to Naruto. None of the ordinary medics would do it.

The last few hours had been some of the most stressful of Sarutobi's life. Not only was the threat of another Kyuubi attack looming over the village, but Naruto, the boy he considered a second grandson, had his life hanging by a thread. And to top it all off, as the leader of the village, he had been expected to deal with all of it. The old man wearily closed his eyes. _'I'm getting too old for this…"_

--

Even after the medics had arrived, Sakura refused to leave the room. She waited tensely on the edge of her seat, eyes glued to the blonde haired boy. She felt like she was waiting out a tempest. There was nothing she could do, but the anxiousness she felt refused to leave. The kunochi tapped her foot and fidgeted, trying to get rid of her extra adrenalin. The same thoughts kept running threw her mind. _'Oh I hope he's alright, what if something bad happens? Where's Sasuke-kun? I've been so mean. When will he wake up? Oh, I hope he's alright, what if...'_

The medics had already taken care of any wounds that hadn't healed on their own. In fact, the majority of their time was spent holding him down as he thrashed wildly. After awhile, he had finally stopped moving. Now he lay still in the hospital bed, medics hovering a few feet away.

Meanwhile, Neji was getting increasingly suspicious about the whole thing. First there was the weird chakra, then Kakashi implying Naruto could be dangerous, and finally the way fear seemed to be pouring out of all the adults. He suspected Sakura was just as clueless as he was, so he turned to Kakashi for information.

"So, Kakashi, you're his sensei, any ideas as to why his chakra backfired?"

The man flinched visibly at the question, but quickly regained his calm demeanor. Like the true ninja he was, he quickly thought up a possible lie. "Well, Naruto never was that good when it came to chakra control. That's what comes of having so much of it. I suspect he focused too much on getting it out of his body, and didn't give the chakra anything to do when it got outside. The chakra's natural reaction was to try to go back in his body and ended up damaging him."

Neji wasn't fooled. He had been learning about chakra control since he could walk. "Why did his chakra change colors then?"

Kakashi faked a surprised but mildly interested tone. "It changed colors? I hadn't noticed."

Neji kept pressing for answers. "It turned red, Kakashi. Why would it do that?"

The jounin shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it's a bloodline."

Nobody other than a Hyuuga could have detected his lie. Neji narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear it. "One last question. Why are there twelve ANBU surrounding this room?"

Kakashi's eyes widened and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a nurse yelled "He's waking up!"

Neji didn't miss that the silver haired jounin discreetly reached for a kunai.

--

Sasuke leaned against the wall of the arena, an irritated scowl on his face. Yet again, the dobe messed up everything. It was his fault they canceled the chuunin exams. How was he supposed to get stronger at this rate?!

The raven-haired genin gritted his teeth as the curse mark on his shoulder burned. A voice that sounded like Orochimaru whispered things in his mind._** "They're holding you back. They want you to stay weak…."**_

Sasuke ignored it, instead focusing on other things. _'I wonder how Naruto's doing. I hope he's alright…'_

He shook his head angrily, irritated. _'I can't form any attachments to people. I don't want to loose someone else precious to me. Besides, if it's bad enough to cancel the exams, then of course he's not okay!' _

His expression of anger quickly changed to one of worry. _'In that case, maybe I should go to the hospital to check on him... No! That would be a waste of time! It's not like he won't get better if I'm not there. But worrying about him will distract me from my training... Okay! I will go see him! Besides, Kakashi's there, I can ask him to train me some more.'_

Satisfied with his decision, he was about to set off for the hospital when he heard a cold, emotionless voice behind him. **"Uchiha."**

Sasuke turned to see Gaara standing there. "I believe we have a match to finish," said the redhead. Sasuke just smirked, and got into a fighting stance…

--

When Naruto awoke, the first thing he saw was a pink blob flying towards him. He quickly determined this was a person when they threw their arms around his neck and attempted to strangle him. _'Shit! I'm under attack! SOMEBODY CALL THE POLICE!'_

"_**You're not under attack, gaki! It's just your bitchy teammate! And you're a freaking ninja! You don't need the police!" **_Kyuubi yelled in his mind. Naruto frowned. _'Don't call Sakura that…'_

"Ack! Sakura-chan, I can't breathe!"

But Sakura wasn't listening. She was to busy hugging him to death and telling him how worried she had been. "Naruto! I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried and scared! Do you feel fine? What happened? You scared me so much!"

"Um… I'm sorry, Sakura-chan…" he said awkwardly. Sakura rarely said anything nice to him, much less hugged him. Sakura pulled back and looked at him tearfully.

"Naruto, I'm sorry," she said to him quietly. Said boy looked confused.

"For what, Sakura-chan?"

"Everything."

"Um…. Sure, I forgive you!" he said quickly, before she could start hugging him again. Not that it had been unpleasant, but he didn't feel like being suffocated today. The blonde looked down at his shirt to see it was wet. Again, he was momentarily confused. _'Was she... crying?'_

But he was given no more time to puzzle this as Kakashi approached warily. "How do you feel…. Naruto?"

He could sense a double meaning in the jounin's words. He was checking to see whether it was the Kyuubi or Naruto he was talking to.

"I'm fine. Where's Sasuke-_teme_?" said the blond, emphasizing the teme part. Kakashi still didn't relax, and Sakura looked downcast.

"He… he couldn't come," she answered hesitantly. Before Naruto could ask why, the older ninja interrupted.

"Naruto, the Hokage will wish to be informed of your current _condition_. Please come with me."

As they left the room, Naruto passed some medics eyeing him warily and to his astonishment, Neji. He was only mildly surprised when a few ANBU appeared to make sure he didn't try anything.

When they reached the Hokage tower, Naruto was surprised to see that they weren't heading towards the Sandaime's office. Instead, the older ninja led him to a larger room. In the center was a table a bunch of older people he assumed to be the council sat around. They all wore stony expressions, and under other circumstances, the blonde would have been intimidated.

"_**What a bunch of wrinkly old farts. They look like they all have sticks stuck up in a place where the sun don't shine," **_Kyuubi jeered. Naruto could hardly stifle his giggles. One of the ninja gave him a weird look.

He spotted the Sandaime sitting at the other end of the long table, and waved to him excitedly. "Hey, Jijii!"

One of the council members exploded, "Impudent brat! Show your elders some respect!"

The Hokage motioned him to be silent, the worried expression never leaving his face. Then he turned back to Naruto. "I'm sure you know why you're here."

The blonde frowned at how he avoided using his name, but nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"You don't have to do anything," explained a random council member, "We've brought a seals expert to check if your's is still intact." He motioned for the unknown seals master to step forward. Naruto's eyes became to size of dinner plates.

"Ero-sennin?!" he shouted. Said man scowled.

"Stop calling me that, gaki!"

"I'll stop when you stop being a pervert!"

"Never!" the toad sage declared. The Hokage smiled, while the rest of the council sweat dropped.

"Er, please, just get on with checking the seal Jiraiya-sama," said a flustered looking council member. Grumbling, the white-haired man walked over to Naruto and lifted his shirt up. Suddenly, he gasped.

"What is it?!" some council members cried, everyone waiting with baited breath. Jiraiya stepped to the side, exposing the seal to everyone. Those who had seen the seal before gasped as Jiraiya had done. The seal wasn't completely gone, but parts of it were missing.

"What does this mean?" someone whispered. The toad sage shook his head.

"I don't know. I've never seen a case like this. I think the person that can tell us is Naruto." Everyone looked expectantly at said blonde, who suddenly felt very nervous. He was having second thoughts about telling them. What if they had him exiled, or worse, executed?! But if he lied, what if they saw through it and decided he was the Kyuubi? He didn't want to lie to the Sandaime, one of his precious people. Who knows, maybe they could stop himself and the Kyuubi from merging.

This small spark of hope was abruptly squashed by the fox who bluntly said, _**"They can't."**_

He was starting to get one of those headaches the demon warned him about. He couldn't think with all these thoughts flying around his head. Naruto began to hear the Kyuubi's thoughts to, and the result was like two people talking at once.

'…_If I tell them I could be killed…'_

'…_**Stupid humans don't even know how their own seals work…'**_

'…_But I can't lie to Jijii…'_

'…_**If I could, I would kill them all right now…'**_

'…_But what if they think I'm a monster…'_

'…_**All I ever wanted to do was crush this miserable little village…'**_

'…_Even if I did lie, it probably wouldn't be very convincing…'_

'…_**Instead I get stuck sealed into some weak human, a stupid one at that…'**_

"_Hey! I'm not stupid!"_

"_**Don't lie to yourself Kit. I've met rocks with more brains then you."**_

While this was going on, council was starting to get worried. Naruto was just standing there silently with a pained and sometimes angry expression on his face.

"Er… Naruto?" Jiraiya said, waving his hand in front of the boy's face. The blonde suddenly jerked his head up and looked at Jiraiya questioningly. "Huh?"

"You've been sitting there just staring for awhile."

"Really?" Naruto said sheepishly. "Sorry about that. You wanted me to tell you what happened to the seal, right?"

Everyone nodded. The blonde took a deep breath, his mind made up.

"Well, you see there were originally two parts to the seal…."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you like this chapter. Pwetty pwease review! And be specific if you do.

Thanks for wishing me a good vacation KageHana!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm back! Yes, I am a big poopie head for not updating for like six freaking months. But it's here now. Enjoy! (The second part is better than the first part.)

* * *

After Naruto finished his explanation, everyone in the room was speechless with shock. Well, everyone except for himself and a certain fox demon.

"_**Look at them with their mouths hanging open like that. And I thought you were stupid."**_

"_Shut up, baka-kitsune."_

Then, the room exploded with noise as every council member tried to express their opinion at the same time. So many people were talking that Naruto could only make out a few words in the garble of voices. He looked over at Jiraiya to see that his mouth was still open in shock, staring mutely at the blonde. For a second, Naruto worried that the sage would reject him and see him as the fox demon instead of Naruto. However, that thought was quickly pushed to the back of his mind, as he had more pressing things to worry about.

Finally, the council was silenced when an old lady stood up and shouted "Enough!"

Everyone turned to look at her as she continued, this time in a quieter voice. "We will solve this just like any other problem. We will hear everyone out _one at a time_, and then make a decision." There were murmurs of approval as she seated herself again.

The aged man sitting across from her cleared his throat. "Now, Uzumaki-san has made it clear that he is not the fox. However, if traits from the Kyuubi are rubbing off on him, who's to say he won't turn on the village? Therefore, I think we should send him into exile."

The lady from before shook her head. "I disagree, honorable councilman Homura. If we send him into exile, there's a chance he should join some other village and strike against us with an army behind him."

'_Um, hello, I'm right here,'_ Naruto thought.

"_**Kit, they don't care if you can here them or not,"**_ Kyuubi deadpanned. _**"The only threat you hold over them is attacking Konoha, and as far as they're concerned, you were going to attack the village anyway."**_

"I think," the councilwoman continued, oblivious to the inner conversation Naruto was having. "…that we should put him in prison so we can keep an eye on him-"

"No," the Sandaime said firmly, cutting her off.

"I beg your pardon…" she said in a sharp tone.

"Honorable councilwoman Kaharu, we can't just put him in prison for crimes he has yet to commit!"

'_These people have really long titles…'_ Naruto thought.

"_**Pay attention, Kit!"**_ snapped Kyuubi.

"Well, if we can't exile or imprison him," said another councilman slowly, "wouldn't the logical choice be to execute the boy?"

This suggestion was met with hearty cheers of approval. Only a few people in the room did not seem to share that opinion.

"No!" Jiraiya yelled, loosing his almost nonexistent cool.

"Do you have any objections?" Kaharu asked icily.

"You can't just kill him!" the toad sage said heatedly. "He's just a genin and has never done anything against the village!"

"I agree with Jiraiya!" said Kakashi in a defiant tone. Naruto was grateful that they were defending him.

"_**Just wait, they'll stab you in the back when the time comes,"**_ Kyuubi sneered nastily.

"_Shut it, fox-teme!"_ Naruto said angrily (in his head of course), _"Just because I have people who actually care-"_

"Honorable councilman," another person said. "We can't execute him for the same reason we can't imprison him."

The other man frowned angrily. "But Danzou-sama-" he tried to say something, but was cut off.

"Besides, it would be an enormous waste of potential! Just think, if we could make him a weapon for Konoha, we would have the power of the Kyuubi at our disposal!"

A few people cheered on his idea but others seemed skeptical.

"And how do you suppose we keep him under control?" said a councilwoman.

"Hold on. We are not going to turn Naruto into a weapon," stated the Hokage, not liking where the debate was going.

"Well, we have to do something!" the council member nearest to Naruto snapped.

"I think we should suspend judgment," said a man with glasses. There were choruses of "I agree!"

"All in favor of suspending judgment," Kaharu said. About half the council raised their hands.

"We can't just wait for something to happen!" called a bald councilman. "We will only know for sure when he turns on us, and by then it will already be too late!"

"We should put him down while we can," a gnarled old woman said nastily. "He's just a demon. That on its own is enough to deserve punishment. Besides, Hokage can't just keep playing favorites for the demon bra-"

"Sh**ut up!" **All heads turned to Naruto, who had finally gotten sick of listening to them and decided to put in his two cents.

"Well, excuse me for _existing_," Naruto sneered, in a way that was quiet out of character for him, "I would like to point out some flaws in your logic. First of all, if I was going to attack Konoha, I would have done it all ready while you're all sitting ducks. What's the point of faking that I'm on your side? Secondly, I'm turning into a hanyou, not a demon. Get it right people! Third and most importantly, the fox-bastard hates Konoha, but I don't. Everything important to me is here. I have no reason to attack it."

Some people pondered his words, while others wondered when the demon brat's vocabulary got so big. The first to compose herself was the one known as Kaharu.

"I'm sorry, Uzumaki-san, but it's not a simple matter of trusting you. We need to do what's positively best for Konoha and at the same time is just."

Naruto folded his arms. "I'll even swear in blood not to attack Konoha. And I never go back on my promises, dattebayo!" That sounded more like the Naruto they all knew.

One of the councilmen snorted. "Foolish brat, we'd be dense to just take your word for it."

"_**Ah, if only he knew how stupid he sounds,"**_ Kyuubi sighed. _**"He makes it seem like he's not dense already." **_

Meanwhile, Kaharu had gotten a contemplative look on her face.

'_I wonder what she's thinking about…'_ Naruto thought.

"_**Gasp! The hag can think?!"**_

"_Don't sound so surprised. I didn't know you could think at first either… oh, wait. You can't!"_

"_**Gaki…"**_ the fox demon growled. But Naruto was saved from the verbal assault that was sure to come by an out of breath messenger careening through the door.

"Hokage-sama," he said in between gasps, "the Sound and Sand are invading!"

--

Sakura felt like crying.

Her village was being invaded by foreign ninja, and all she could do was just stand by and watch. It was times like these it became painfully apparent just how weak she really was. Her jutsu knowledge was next to nothing, besides the standard academy level, and her taijutsu was below average. The only reason she passed the genin test in the academy was because of her brains, and she didn't see a way she could use that to her advantage right now.

A few feet from her was Neji, Byakugan flaring and Gentle Fist working overtime. They were cornered outside the hospital, and this boy she hardly knew was fighting tooth and nail to protect her. The kunochi could see it was a strain too, because sweat was pouring from the Hyuuga prodigy's brow and from time to time his Byakugan would flicker. Any minute now, the enemy ninja would overpower them.

Suddenly, the shouting of Inner Sakura filled her ears. _**"What are you doing just standing around here?!"**_ her alter ego raged. _**"Get your ass in gear and make these pansy bastards wish their parents had never decided to reproduce!"**_

"_B-but, what can I-I do?"_ she quivered mentally, looking to be on the verge of a breakdown. _"I d-don't know any jutsu… I don't know anything!"_ Just before the psychological tears could start spilling, her tough inner self stormed over, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly.

"_**Get a hold of yourself!"**_ she screeched. _**"Let me show you how a real kunochi fights!"**_

Any person paying attention to Sakura would have noticed the change right away. Suddenly she stopped her violent trembling and her eyes started to burn with the intense passion of rage. Her posture became more confident, and her expression changed from frightened to one of excitement and scorn. None of the ninja noticed her changes immediately as they were all too preoccupied with Neji. However, all of them became aware of her transformation as soon as she opened her mouth. No longer was she the quivering and wretched ninja wannabe. Now she was a proud, confident, _scary_ kunochi.

"SHANNARO!"

--

Orochimaru was what many would call a patient man. He had waited years for the moment he could get revenge on his former sensei and worked diligently towards the destruction of Konoha. However, all his treasured patience was wearing thin as he waited for the old Hokage to come out of the council chambers. Not even he was vain enough to attack Sarutobi in a room guarded by ANBU, full of old but powerful ninjas. The Snake Sannin couldn't risk loosing this battle so near the completion of his invasion because of a fool's gamble. Any minute now the occupants of the room would leave to help defend against the ninjas of the Sound and Sand. Then he would be free to kill the Sandaime.

Suddenly the doors burst open. Out ran the Kyuubi brat, a look of anger and excitement on his face. He swiftly jumped out the nearest window and into the fray, eager to defend his home and kill the enemy. The boy's sensei followed him, along with Orochimaru's old teammate.

An elderly voice rang out from inside the room, presumably a civilian council member's. "Wait! We're not done with you yet! Get back here boy!"

Orochimaru smirked as he saw the Hokage leave the room as well. He signaled his four escorts. They nodded once, and then disappeared. Only the trained shinobi eye could see them speed into the council chamber and lock the doors behind them. The snake ninja chuckled softly but maniacally as screams could be heard from the inside. Then he pursued his old sensei.

Orochimaru only caught up to him when they reached the roof of the Hokage building. Sarutobi stopped and slowly turned to face him. He'd probably known the snake man was following him all along.

"So, Orochimaru, you've finally decided to show yourself."

The snake man smirked. "Today, this village will rue the day they named Minato the fourth Hokage, instead of me!"

Sarutobi chuckled cheerlessly. "You still don't get it, do you?"

The blood of the Sannin was starting to boil. Rage locked up for years started to leak out, and pent up emotions began to fizz angrily around his brain. _'How dare this old fool continue to mock me!'_

"But it's you who doesn't understand, sensei!" he hissed out. "You are about to die, and this godforsaken village will be crushed by Oto and Suna!"

The Hokage was still wearing that pitying look that Orochimaru hated. "You still seek to play the game of revenge against a village that has done you no wrong," the old man said, shaking his head sorrowfully. "You cannot see past your own foolish goals. What will this power get you?"

"Everything!" hissed Orochimaru. "I used to respect you, but now all I see is a dying fool! Let me put you out of your misery!"

Then, he lunged.

--

Naruto pelted down the streets of Konoha, killing enemies left and right. How dare they attack his home, his territory! It was time to teach these foreign ninja how Konoha deals with traitors!

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks as he felt menacing chakra wash over him. Chakra belonging to a presence that he, or rather, Kyuubi, hadn't felt in decades.

"**Shukaku…"** Kyuubi uttered through Naruto's lips.

* * *

A/N: Beware of my evil cliffhanger!!! (Insert evil laughter)

Okay, I have something important to say. When I started this, I did not have a pairing in mind. I am still undecided, so you guys can decide for me! (I'm lazy like that)

Just review and tell me pairings that you want (try to give a reason). You can't vote for the same thing twice and I will not accept the following pairings:

SasuSaku - I hate this pairing. Every time I read it it's like 'OMG, they are so OOC'.

NaruHina – I can't see a way to make this one work. But, if over 75% of the votes go to it, I might make an exception.

Yaoi or Yuri – I don't mind this kind of thing, but it would freak my sister/editor out.

Other than those, anything goes! (Rhyme not intended)

R&R!


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